No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

“Rebecca, this is Evelyn May from Dogs Inc. I am here at Jackson’s and he has fallen, I am slightly concerned with his hip. He landed pretty hard,” I tell her.

“Please call an ambulance he needs to be looked at, please,” she begs. “Wait, I’ll call; can you just please stay with him until I get there?” she asks.

“Sure, I will meet you at the hospital,” I tell her, and I have no idea why the hell I would do that.

For some reason the only thing on my mind is to get back to him as soon as possible. I check on Gracie and make sure she has food and water, then I head out. Racing to my car, following the ambulance.

“Listen, I’m fine. I know that I need to pay better attention to my leg and to go back and have it refitted, I don’t need a babysitter,” he barks at the young doctor.

“Well, since you can’t seem to take care of yourself and you lie to your sister maybe you do!” His sister Rebecca reprimands him like he is a toddler while tapping her left foot.

“Becks, I promise, I’m fine. Nothing serious, just some bumps and bruises. I promise I will be more careful, and I will go back to the VA,” he says, looking up at us and I know what he is expecting to see.

“Mr. Cole, you have an infection right now. Your amputation site is swollen and you need to rest. Unfortunately, you will need to be without your prosthesis until it is all healed. So, you will need help,” the doctor says and my urge to take care of him takes over.

“Rebecca, can I speak to you?” I hear myself say before I realize I have said it. “I can stay with him during the day.” “I know that he hardly knows me, but I’m a nurse and I have taken care of patients like this before, plus it will give me time to teach Jackson how to interact with Gracie. If you’re okay with that,” I offer.

What in the hell have I done?

Chapter Three

Jackson

Gracie greets us at the door all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, licking and sniffing me. “Hey, girl, you need to go out?” I ruffle her fur as I head to the back door to let her out. My body stiff and sore from my fall, telling me to sit down and rest a bit.

“Sit down, I will let her out,” Rebecca says, beating me to the back door.

“Listen, I need to go to the store. So, I’m going to bring back groceries for you, since you are to rest and relax for the next couple days,” she informs me.

“Thanks, right now I just want to take this pain pill and sleep. What time will you be over in the morning?” I ask since I know she won’t let this go.

“I will be over at nine, don’t worry I will just use my key. I want you to rest as much as possible,” she tells me before I drift off to sleep again.

Gunfire and shrapnel are everywhere, screaming is coming from several locations muffled from the explosions and flying debris. Mothers running toward children, villagers grabbing other shoppers off the streets of the outside market. Trying to stay alert from one side to the other, moving victims off the street out of the line of fire. Out of the corner of my eye I see two kids playing and I call out.

“Riggs, grab those two and bring them back, get them out of the way,” I yell since he is the closest to them.

Just as he steps forward, I notice a reflection glint to his left. I look up and see two snipers waiting for Riggs to make his move toward the small children playing. Screaming for him to stop he turns toward me and runs to take cover. Just as shots ring out again, this time making contact with one of the children playing in the street. I rush out to him, praying to reach him in time.

“Listen, kid, stay with me,” I say to him, applying pressure to his chest where the bullet made impact.

“Cover me,” I yell toward my unit, trying to maintain pressure on his chest.

My only thought is I can’t lose a kid to this hell hole. All the while gun smoke and debris permeate my senses.

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay, you will be okay,” I tell him. Inside my head I am thinking just the opposite. I press harder as his eyes tell me he is terrified; he can’t say a word. He is gasping for air and I know then his lung has collapsed, and he won’t make it.

“It’s okay, buddy, I am here with you,” I tell him, one hand on his chest and the other holding his bloody, dirt covered hand.

I jerk awake dragging in deep breaths trying to calm myself, that memory gets me every time. I know there was nothing I could do to help that kid but damn it he was a kid; he didn’t deserve anything like that. His family didn’t deserve to lose a child due to war, but then again in what circumstances does a child deserve to die.

I wander around the house using my crutches, it’s three-thirty in the morning. I notice the fridge is full and so is my pantry. Thank you, Rebecca.

I retire to my chair and watch TV as time slowly slips by.

The caress of soft hands brushing my shoulder, startles me awake. I look up once I get my bearings back. I find myself staring up at Evelyn’s deep chocolate brown eyes. She is standing over me dressed in tight jeans and a warm, soft, baby pink sweater wearing an overly concerned look on her face.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you awake, it’s time for your meds,” Evelyn says, placing four pills in my right hand and a cup of coffee in my left.

“What are you